Toy



0. w. EBELING.

TOY.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1918.

I 1,336,556, Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. EBELING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Application filed June 20, 1918.

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CI-rAnLns W. EBE- Linc, a citizen of the United States, resid ing in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Toy, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a toy, and, speaking generally, the object of the invention is to propel small articles, such as checkers, and marbles during the playing of various games.

It is common practice, particularly among children, to play checks out of doors on side walks and similar public places, and to shoot or propel the checkers by a snapping action of the fingers with relation to the thumb.

This practice is, of course, highly unsanitary, since the conditions are particularly favorable to the bacterial infection of the operators finger and thumb. 1

The present invention overcomes the disudvantage referred to, and others, in that it provides a simple, efficient means for propelling articles of the class specified, and because of the unique manner in which the toy is operated, and the skill which may be displayed in connection therewith, the

' games are given added interest.

Speaking generally, the preferred form of the invention, from a structural standpoint, embodies a suitable housing or support, a plunger operably mounted therein and a propelling member for the article adapted to be actuated by the plunger.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, as well as specific details and advantages of the invention will appear from the hereinafter detailed description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The drawings illustrate the preferred practical embodiment of the invention, but this is to be understood as typical only, and not exclusive of the Various forms in which the generic structure may be embodied. Re ferring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the device, partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a plan view;

Fig. & is a fragmentary View of a portion of the plunger; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section on line 55 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows appearing on said line.

Referring to the drawings, 6 represents Specification of Letters Patent.

TOY.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Serial No. 240,920.

the support or housing, and, in the interest of stability and lightness, the rear portion thereof is made in the form of spaced legs 7, T. The front portion of the support or housing is provided with a vertical groove or channel 8, in which a rod or plunger 9 is mounted for vertical reciprocation, through the medium of a knob or handle 10, secured to the upper part of the rod or plunger. The plunger is provided with a slot 11, near its lower end, and a pin or rod 12, extend- Iiig across channel 8, and fixedly supported by the housing, passes through slot 11, and limits the upward movement of the plunger. Secured to the front of the housing or support, and bridging the channel 8 is a strip or plate 13, composed of resilient material such as wood or metal, the upper end of which is attached to the support, laterally of the channel by means of nails or pins 1i, and the lower end of which plate is free and has a spring-like effect, in that it can be pressed forwardly, in the manner herein after described, so as to assume the dotted position shown in Fig. 1. To effect the outward or forward movement of the plate 13, the inner face thereof, at the bottom of the plate, is provided with a block 15, the upper surface of which 16 is inclined or cam-like. 1 18 clearly appears from Figs. 1 and 3, block 15 is in substantial alinement with plunger rod 9, so that when said rod is pushed downwardly, its lower end rides on the inclined face 16 of block 15, thereby forcing the block forwardly into the dotted position shown in Fig. 1. lVhen the plunger is retracted, 2'. c., drawn upwardly, the spring action of plate 13 returns the plate and block to normal position within the channel.

From the-foregoing description, the manner of using the toy will be readily understood, but it may be briefly described as follows: The toy having been so positioned that the block or propelling member 15 is in directional. alinenient with the checker or other article to be snapped or propelled, the operator steadies the device with one hand, and, taking hold of knob 10, elevates the plunger 9, and, thereafter drives it downwardly by pushing on the knob, or, preferably, by giving it a quick blow or tap. The lower end of plate 13 is thereby given a quick, snappy forward movement with the result that the checker, or other article, is propelled or driven in substantially the same way as though it were snapped by the linger as is commonly done. By varying the throw of the plunger, and, likewise, the degree of force by which it is driven downwardly, the force or energy imparted to the lower end of the spring, is within the control of the operator and determines the distance which the checker is driven. It is thus apparent that the operator has the opportunity of displaying and developing skill in the manipulationof the toy, thereby awakening enhanced interest in the ame.

While the toy has been particularly described in connection with out door games, it will be understood that it can be used in playing several well known parlor or table games.

The structure described may be modified of course within the skill of the mechanic,

as by the substitution of equivalents, without departing from the spirit or substance of the invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a toy of the class described, a housing orjsupport, provided with a channel, a plunger mounted for reciprocation in the channel, a resilient plate having a cam-like face in alinement with the plunger whereby when the plunger rides on the cam-like face, the resilient plate is thrown forwardly.

2. In a toy of the class described, a housing provided with a channel, a portion of the wall of which channel is in the form of a resilient leaf having a cam-like face projecting into tl ie'channe'lfa plunger mounted for reciprocation in the channel, and adapted to be so reciprocated manually to bring said plunger into engagement with the camlike face, whereby, when the plunger rides on the cam-like face, the resilient leaf is flexed outwardly. 3 In a toy of the class described, a housing or support provided with a substantial vertical channel, one side of which is closed by a resilient leaf, the lower portion of which is adapted to be flexed outwardly with respect to the channel, a cam member associated with the lower portion of said leaf, and a manually operable plunger mounted to slide longitudinally within the channel and adapted to be brought into engagement with the cam member for the purpose of flexing the lower portion of the leaf in an outward direction. 1 7

i. In a toy of the class described, a housing or support provided with a channel a portion of which is closed at one side by a resilient flexible member, the inherent resiliency of which normally impels it in the direction of the channel,a cam member associated with the resilient member and projecting into the channel, and a manually operable plunger movable longitudinally of the channel and adapted to be brought into engagement with the cam member for flexing the resilient member in an outward direction. with respect to the channel.

\ In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES WV. EBELING. 

